Yet Another Tokka 100 Theme Challenge
by majesticwolf27
Summary: "Going back on hiatus. Between third shift and personal problems, I suppose I wasn't ready to start writing again. Thanks to all who read."
1. Number 78: Drunk

**A/N: This wasn't originally going to be the prompt I started with for the 100 Theme Challenge, but it just kept coming. I have quite a few other prompts started, but I may not be able to post as frequently as I used to. Work sucks. XD**

**Anyway this is an AU modern-day fic without bending. I don't think I mentioned anything controversial, but if I did, please recognize that this is strictly non-political fluff. No offense intended.**

**Of course: Disclaimer: I do NOT own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**

**Drunk**

If Toph Bei Fong had one weakness, it was tequila.

But if Toph was completely honest with herself she would admit that tequila wasn't her weakness, but a cure for the soft spot in her walls.

Toph's real weakness was a kind-hearted naval officer that she had been in love with since their friendship as children. Sokka was the older brother of Toph's cousin's girlfriend.

Due to the lack of activities and other children in the neighborhood they had grown up in, the four had hung out constantly and become close.

Katara, Sokka's sister, and Aang, Toph's cousin, had dated since middle school, and were married just after high school. Toph and Sokka had grown closer when the other two did, but nothing ever came of it.

As soon as Sokka turned eighteen, he enlisted in the Navy, and Katara followed two years later.

Upon Toph's eighteenth birthday, she enlisted in the Marine Corp, and a few months later, Aang joined the Air Force.

All of them rose through the ranks, but Toph was an impressive force to be reckoned with until a roadside bomb stole her vision from her.

Toph was lucky to have come out of it alive, but something inside her was damaged, and she distanced herself from the friends she once considered her family.

Toph's nimble fingers rested around the neck of a full bottle of tequila, and she slowly unscrewed the cap.

Five years was a long time to be separated from friends, but Toph felt as if it were for the best.

Knowing Katara, she would insist on caring for Toph, unintentionally putting a strain on her and Aang's marriage.

And Sokka…well, there was no telling what place in his heart Toph now occupied, if any.

Toph sighed and poured a shot of tequila, tilting her head back, and the liquid fire burned a course down her throat.

Toph ran a hand over herself self-consciously.

Her waist-length ebony hair was up in a high ponytail, her long bangs brushed to one side of her face. A green tank top stretched across her large bosom, and her Tripp pants jingled with her movement.

What would an outsider see looking in? Would they see a beautiful woman wasting away?

Would they see beauty at all?

Toph sighed and poured another shot, drinking it quicker than the first.

When she had been young, she had loved Sokka with a passion most couples do not achieve at such a young age, but Toph had never worked up the courage to tell him.

She was too afraid that he only saw her as a child.

Toph took yet another shot as the 'what-ifs' began to plague her.

Should she have told him, Toph doubted it would have made a difference.

Sokka had been in love with a girl named Yue in high school who was killed just after graduation during mission work in Africa.

For quite some time, Toph thought that Sokka would never move on, but should he, that she would be the one he would run to because she had been there for him.

Then Sokka met Suki.

Suki was a women's self-defense instructor and a dedicated women's rights advocate.

Toph took another shot of tequila to chase away the memory of Suki.

She absently wondered if they were still together as her sobriety began to fade.

Toph used to think that Sokka would come around one day, but after being hospitalized and giving the prognosis of a sightless future, Toph had lost all faith in herself.

After a few more shots Toph had managed to convince herself that her love for Sokka and the worm in the tequila bottle were one and the same; they were both obstacles that she had to overcome.

Along the top of Toph's fridge, half a dozen tequila bottles sat with the smallest amount of liquor, and that damn worm.

Toph could never bring herself to drink it, not out of squeamishness, but for fear of what could happen.

Likewise, Toph could never tell Sokka how she felt for fear of what could happen, more specifically, rejection.

Toph shivered and stood up, moving towards the coat rack beside her front door.

"Wolf, come." She slurred, waiting until she heard the steady padding of feet followed by a thump, and then the steady sweeping of his tail across the floor. "Black flats and grey and black hoodie." Toph commanded.

The black and white husky retrieved the requested items and sat down beside his master again.

Toph tilted her head towards him and nodded with a hint of a smile.

The husky yelped once in response and wriggled his way into his specially marked harness, and passed the lead to Toph with his mouth.

* * *

Toph walked down the streets, her inebriation seemingly justified by the inner workings of her mind.

In honesty, the cool air had sobered Toph up greatly, but she kept her sunglasses over her eyes, and a piece of gum in her mouth.

"Jasmine Dragon," she whispered to Wolf, her bottom lip trembling.

The guide dog paused, looking up at his master.

The two had gone there once before, but the memories were so painful for Toph that she had fled, and would have been hit by a car if not for Wolf's quick thinking.

"I know, I know boy, but I need this." Toph exhaled, the surety filling her senses.

She had to do this.

Wolf led Toph down the dimly lit streets and after nearly an hour of walking, they arrived at their destination.

Toph pulled open the door, and Wolf led her in.

"Excuse me, but we don't allow…oh my god." The voice had begun as annoyed, the owner obviously missing Wolf's special harness, then tapered into understanding, and then into disbelief.

Toph tried to determine if she recognized the deep voice, but the tequila clouded her memory.

"He's a service dog," Toph informed the man, her hand patting the dog's head in affection. "Could I have a table please?"

The man stepped forward and—unbeknownst to Toph—motioned to a man in the kitchen.

"Right this way Toph." The man said, brushing his shaggy brown hair out of his eyes.

Toph froze and Wolf's lead jerked him backwards.

He whined and stared up at her, longing for a drink of water.

"How do you know my name?" Toph demanded.

The man smiled, grabbing Toph's hand and guiding it over a scar incasing the left side of his face.

"It's been a while." Zuko said with a smile.

"Good god Sparky, it's been forever." Toph exclaimed, relaxing with recognition.

She allowed him to lead again, following Wolf to a small table. Zuko came with a bowl of water for Toph's guide and a glass of ginseng tea for Toph.

"So, Katara tells me that you kind of…dropped off the map." Zuko began softly, hoping not to offend her.

Had Toph been sober, she probably wouldn't have said anything.

"Yeah, I did. I was pulling the whole 'pity me I'm blind' bullshit. You know, feeling worthless and shit." Toph confided, her words still affected by the liquid courage she'd had earlier.

Zuko nodded slowly. "I see. Uncle is here tonight, he would love to see you." Zuko said finally, not knowing where else to take the conversation.

When they were kids, all through middle school Zuko and his sister had bullied the group, but come high school, Zuko became part of their group.

Toph had a feeling it was because of Katara, but Zuko never owned up to it, and Katara clearly didn't feel the same.

Zuko was easily in a position to understand how Toph felt, which was what motivated her lips to begin moving again.

"I would love to see Iroh but first I have to tell you a HUGE secret." Toph attempted to whisper, her voice startling the last of the night's customers.

Zuko grinned, realizing Toph was smashed and gestured to the kitchen window again. "I'm all ears." He replied.

"You see, when we were KIDS, I kind of fell in love WITH Sokka." Toph said, her voice rising in odd places.

"Wow, I would have never guessed." Zuko replied sarcastically, but with a lighthearted intention.

Toph grinned and went on. "I know, I'm good at secrets. But listen, guess WHAT I discovered. Sokka is a tequila WORM." Toph continued.

If there had been any doubt about Toph's sobriety before, it had vanished.

_So tequila is her poison…why am I not surprised? _Zuko thought to himself. "How is that?" he asked aloud.

"You see," Toph began, spreading her hands out for emphasis. "I never drink the worm, you know, 'cause of the rumors about them, and I never told Sokka how I felt. It makes sense."

"That it does." Zuko said calmly, though he was trying not to laugh. Perhaps if Toph was sober, her logic would have been, well, logical.

"That makes absolutely no sense." A voice came from behind.

Toph jumped, the buzz leaving her body.

Zuko's voice may have been hard to place, but there was no mistaking Katara.

"Oh shit." Toph whispered.

* * *

Katara sighed as she tucked Toph into bed.

"I'll leave in the morning when you sober up, I promise." Katara said softly, her voice cracking.

Toph sighed, knowing that Katara was hurt. Katara hadn't said anything after making her entrance in the tea shop, and she had made sure Toph made it home safely.

As far as Toph knew, Katara hadn't even told Aang where she was or that she was with Toph.

"Katara," Toph whispered, closing her hand around Katara's wrist. "You don't have to go so soon."

Katara bit back tears and sighed. "Toph, if you wanted me here you would have found me. I'm not going to burden you with my being here." Katara stated.

Toph sat up and shook her head vehemently. "No, that's the exact opposite. I didn't want to be a burden on you and Twinkletoes!" Toph exclaimed.

"Toph," Katara soothed, sitting on the edge of the bed. "You could never be a burden to us. We love you."

"Not all of you." Toph pouted stubbornly, something out of the norm for her.

Katara's eyes widened in surprise that Toph still harbored feelings for a man she hadn't seen in years.

"You know, I forgot to tell you about Sokka." Katara lied, hoping to steer the conversation to the exact point she wanted it.

"Oh, how's he?" Toph asked, hoping for nonchalance, but unable to stop the interest from entering her voice.

"Well, he retired from the Navy." Katara began, stringing Toph carefully. "He's got a house not far from here actually." She continued.

"Oh yeah, why'd he retire?" Toph asked, choosing to ignore Katara's remark about Sokka's whereabouts. She made a mental note to look for a new apartment as soon as possible.

"He said he missed home." Katara stated plainly. "He also said he wanted to start a family." Katara whispered, hoping Toph would take the bait.

Toph's stomach dropped as Katara's words sunk in, and she feigned sleep.

* * *

Toph groaned as she rolled out of bed, her feet hitting the cool wood floor, and waited until she heard the bed creak with the loss of Wolf's weight before venturing to her bedroom door.

Her head was pounding and her stomach was protesting the remnants of the tequila violently.

Wolf nudged the bedroom door open and then led Toph across the hall to the bathroom without needing to be prompted.

Toph bent over the toilet and wretched roughly while Wolf plopped down with a sigh.

Between bouts, Toph turned to her guide dog and gave an apologetic smile.

As Toph emptied the last of the contents of her stomach, she heard footsteps approaching, another sigh from Wolf as he stood, and then she could feel a presence beside her.

"Sorry Katara, Wolf failed the toilet-flushing aspect of his training." Toph quipped despite the thunder in her mind.

Toph groped around for a moment and flushed the toilet before making a move to stand up.

A firm hand wrapped around Toph's, and she nearly jerked her hand back in shock.

That was a man's hand, and despite the years separating her memories, she knew exactly whom it belonged to.

Wordlessly, Sokka helped Toph to her feet, and led her down the hallway. He helped her into a chair in the kitchen where he had Asprin and a cup laid out.

"Take this," he commanded, dropping the pills into her trembling hand. "And drink this, it'll help."

Toph tilted her head upwards, wishing she could tell if his eyes held the same anger his voice did.

She mumbled thanks and stretched her legs out, accidentally kicking Katara.

"You're still here?" she questioned, wondering why Katara hadn't warned her that Sokka was here, forgetting for a moment to be pissed that Katara had told him in the first place.

Katara smiled over the top of her coffee mug and shrugged.

"Yeah, Sokka was the only one around to pick me up, and he didn't think it was a good idea to leave you here alone." Katara replied, glad that she'd managed to reunite them.

Katara had done her part, and it was up to them to do the rest.

She stood slowly and stretched.

"I'm going to run and grab a few things for you, I'll be right back." Katara stated before heading to the door.

Sokka stared at her, mouth agape, unaware that Toph held a similar expression.

"Look," Sokka said finally, after the silence had become too much to bear. "I'm sorry about Katara. I had no idea what was going on until I saw you head to the bathroom. Then she filled me in." He paused for a moment, battling internally before sighing. "If you want me to go, I can walk home. It's not that far from here."

Toph closed her eyes trying to reject the pain filling her.

"Do whatever you want. I'll be fine." Toph said flatly.

Sokka opened his mouth, wanting to come clean to Toph, but shook the thought from his head; she wanted nothing to do with him.

He was to the door by the time Toph opened her mouth.

"Did you and Suki end up starting a family like you wanted to?" Toph asked softly.

Sokka smiled softly as he stared at Toph, looking vulnerable despite her best intentions.

"No, I never wanted a family with Suki." Sokka replied just as quietly before turning and leaving.

* * *

Katara counted softly, holding her breath, from her hidden position in Sokka's car.

Four.

Five.

Six.

Seven.

Toph's apartment door flew open and Toph stumbled into the morning light, Wolf following her nervously.

Sokka paused and turned around, moving back towards Toph.

"Who were you talking about then?" Toph demanded, her breath coming out in small white puffs.

Sokka sighed and slipped off his black leather jacket, slipping it over her bare shoulders.

"Do you remember when we were kids and we broke into Ozai's mansion?" he asked instead of answering her.

"Yeah," Toph answered, caught off guard. "Azula found us, and she went for you...and I…" Toph stopped, realizing that she couldn't finish the sentence; her throat was thick with tears she could not shed.

"You pulled her off of me and beat the shit out of her because you knew I wouldn't hit a girl. You defended my honor…you defended me." Sokka supplied, his eyes filling with tears, staring at the woman he'd fallen in love with during childhood, looking so vulnerable and scared. "That was when I knew I was in love with you."

Toph's chin quivered momentarily before she launched herself into Sokka's arms.

"I love you too," Toph whispered.

As the two kissed Katara smiled before driving off, a bag of bottles with tequila worms clinking gently in the seat beside her.

**A/N: What do you think? Was this alright? Please review and let me know. Thanks for reading! ~Majestic~**


	2. Number 61: Facade

**Number 61: Façade**

**This one is a song-fic, also my first song fic, oh my. The lyrics are for "Façade" by Disturbed.**

**Kind of mature themes, no sex or nudity or anything like that. Mentions of abuse in my work and the lyrics.**

Toph looked like she hadn't slept in weeks. She had turned up at Sokka's house shortly after dawn, her hands jammed into the bag at her hip.

Sokka recognized the bag at first—he'd bought it for her after all—but not the woman standing before him. For a moment he'd thought it was all some sick joke, that someone had stolen Toph's bag and brought it to him for a cheap laugh.

But the clouded eyes were hers, and he knew them well enough to let her in.

_**No one knows just what has become of her  
Shattered doll, desperate  
Oh, so innocent and delicate  
But too damn obdurate  
And obstinate to let go**_

Spirits, he thought as he brought her a cup of tea, telling her to make herself at home—she had, after all, lived there at one point—he hadn't seen Toph in nearly a year. And she wasn't looking too well. Clearly she'd been in a fight recently, the bruises on her face fading to a yellowing color, and the cuts scabbed over well enough that he knew waterbending wouldn't ease the scarring. But, Toph was stubborn and had a big mouth, she was always getting into fights, and the bruises blooming across her face and hands were nothing to worry about.

She toed the ground as he shuffled around the kitchen, full-out staring at her without fear of getting caught, and she sighed softly.

"I miss this couch," she said, surprising him. She'd been the one who told him not to buy it. She leaned into its overstuffed comfort and muttered another sigh, this one in contentment.

"It's always here if you want to visit." Sokka said, sitting down with his own cup of tea, taking in Toph's beauty despite the rough edges.

_**Broken down, hurt again, it never ends  
Frightened and trembling  
Did she fall again? An accident  
Her eyes encircled in black again  
I can't believe that she's still with him**_

"Heh, I hardly ever make it to this side of town." Toph said with a sad smile, and she finally took off her bag, shrugging out of her jacket and making herself truly comfortable. She took a long drink of the jasmine tea and grinned. "Not quite JD but not bad Snoozles."

Sokka resisted the urge to beam with delight as he remembered why it was that he hadn't seen Toph in a year.

"Are you still with Hun?" he asked, his finger spinning idly around the rim of the cup.

Toph's expression hardened into a mask and she nodded woodenly.

"Yeah, we're still together." She replied, her expression towards the cup in her hands disdainful.

"You know," Sokka began gently, hoping that he could butter her up. "Katara and Aang really want you to see the baby. And I miss having you around. You should come over more often."

Toph sighed, and Sokka wondered if he had pushed too hard. For a normal person, the suggestion would be taken as an invitation, but for Toph, it could be seen as a command.

So stubborn that girl was.

Woman, Sokka mentally corrected. Toph was clearly a woman now; no matter how much she still looked like a ceramic doll.

Her features were strong, but soft, her curves delicate, yet prominent.

Toph was full of contradictions, the body of a woman, and the spirit of a warrior.__

_**For how long will you try?**_  
_**How long until you walk away?**_  
_**Your facade can't disguise**_  
_**The fact that you're in misery**_

Toph stayed a little over an hour before saying that she had to leave, and she was standing at the door when Sokka sighed.

"Toph, please don't go. Stay a little while, I can send Hawky to Hun to let him know you're here, it'll be fine." He pleaded, not wanting to relinquish her after her long absence.

Toph sighed and pulled Sokka into an uncharacteristic hug.

"I'm sorry, I really need to go. I'll see you soon, okay?" she lied, knowing that she wouldn't see him for a long time, if ever again.

As she shut the door behind him, trying to vanish the sight of his hurt from her mind, she felt like the world was collapsing.

When she had been living with Sokka, she'd met a traveling man, and they'd begun a whirlwind romance. Toph had been so wrapped up in the new feeling—her love for Sokka could only be considered new for so long—that she had failed to see what was in front of her.

This man was nothing like she was. He was violent, oh he was violent, but he didn't fight for a cause, he fought to control.

And controlling Toph had become his high for the last year. The first time he'd hit her, she'd packed her things and was going to go back to live with Sokka. She wasn't one to be hit, especially by a man who supposedly cared for her.

But he'd begged and pleaded, saying that he would never do it again.

And when it happened again, she thought that he would do the same thing, cry and beg, and tell her how sorry he was. She had steeled herself so that she wouldn't give in, but he had surprised her.

He told her that if she wanted Katara to live to birth the child in her womb, Toph would sit down and shut up.

How could Toph dare risk Katara and the baby's lives? She knew she was stronger than him, but pitted against the risk of losing two people—not to mention that it would destroy Aang, Sokka, and Hakoda's lives as well—that she loved, she couldn't risk it.

So she bore the burden in silence.

She would protect those she loved, just as she always had.

_**Look inside, see what has become of her  
Hiding within again  
Can she pick herself up again?  
It's just too difficult and arduous to let go**_

Toph was no fool; she knew that when she got home from Sokka's that a painful beating would await her. But she also knew that if she couldn't escape, her days were numbered anyway, and she couldn't bear to die without seeing his face one last time.

She'd thought about going to Zuko, to see if he could help her in some way, but her fear for Katara and the baby was too intense.

Spirits, Toph didn't even know the infants name and she already adored it.

Not to mention that she had isolated herself from her friends and family, and aside from Sokka, she didn't know if anyone would even _want _to help her now.

No, it was something that she would have to handle on her own.__

**_Homicide flashes through her mind again_**  
**_No more pain, take control_**  
**_If he raises his hand again_**  
**_She'll find her freedom in killing him_**  
**_The world will see that she's had enough_**

Toph made her way into the large house that she shared with Hun, her feet instantly meeting the wood floor he _insisted _be installed and losing their sharp focus.

The creak of wood from her left alerted her to his presence, and the sound of glass clanking against a wood table alerted her that he'd been drinking.

_**For how long will you try?  
How long until you walk away?  
Your facade can't disguise  
The fact that you're in misery  
**_

"You stupid bitch, you went to him didn't you? Did you sleep with him?" Hun demanded, grabbing a fistful of her long hair and dragging her face into his sake-tinged breath.

Toph wasn't afraid; she was done playing this game. She couldn't go on living this way.

"Yes." She lied easily; the one thing she'd always wanted but could never have sealed her fate.

Hun threw her to the floor, delivering a blow to her face and a kick to her stomach.

She rolled to her hands and knees, attempting to stand, but her fisted her hair and slammed her face into his knee.

Toph coughed blood—from her cut lips or the blow to her stomach, she wasn't sure—and a fire that had long since died lit her eyes.

_**For how long will you try?  
How long until you walk away?  
From the look in your eyes  
I know you bleed internally  
**_

Toph stood up, ripping the space-rock bracelet from her arm and thinning it into a sharp point. She pressed it flush against his eye, not hard enough to pierce through, but hard enough for him to get the message not to move.

_**For how long will you deny?  
How long until you walk away?  
Your facade can't disguise  
The fact that you're in misery  
**_

Toph's eyes aligned perfectly with his shocked brown ones and she glowered at him.

"If you ever touch me, or touch my family, or even **look **at us again, I will kill you. Do you understand me?" she demanded, her clouded eyes filled with hatred.

"Yes, yes," he muttered, his eyes widened with fear. "Toph, I—"

"Save it you piece of shit. I'm leaving. You will **not **come after me, and you will **not **come after my family. You will **not **contact us, **ever.** Got it?" she snapped, dropping him to his knees as he nodded.

She grabbed the bracelet from the floor and the messenger bag from beside the floor, knowing it was all she needed and not once turning back to look at the pathetic excuse for a man crying on the floor.

_**For how long will you try?  
How long until you walk away?  
From the look in your eyes  
I know you bleed internally  
**_

Sokka woke from a particularly good dream, one revolving around Toph and the couch she claimed to have missed to a banging on his door. Only Toph knocked like that, and he was pleasantly surprised that she'd come back after only two weeks.

He padded down the cold stone floor to the foyer, and started talking before he'd finished opening his eyes.

"Did you miss my couch that much?" he asked jokingly.

_**Broken down, hurt again  
It never ends**_

Toph wrapped her arms around his neck as tears slipped down her cheeks, over the last of the fading bruises, the proof of the story that she would tell him later that night, after she'd told him what she should have done a long time ago.

"No, I missed _you_ Snoozles." She declared, pulling his lips down to meet her torn ones, and despite the bruising, swelling and scabbing, Sokka could not have asked for a more perfect kiss.

**A/N: Okay, I know that this isn't the best topic to start up with after nearly a year of not posting, but a lot of things happened, and some of the chapters that I've managed to complete are sort of brutal and a reflection on where I've been. The next one, hopefully up tonight but no promises, is brain-deadening sweet. Thanks for reading and please review. Really wanting feedback on this one since its sort of raw.**


	3. Number 60: Costume

**Number 60: Costume**

**Because they weren't already weird enough on their own, they had to toss a hooker and a fairy into the mix.**

**(This is AU. I know, I've been gone for nearly a year and then I drop AUs left and right. Sorry, but I was inspired!)**

Toph pressed a hand to her chin and sighed.

There was no way that she could go through with this.

Sure she had been cocky when she was taunting her best friend—she had to do something to take the focus off of her insanely ridiculous love for him—but now she wasn't as certain.

Zuko, Katara's angst-ridden ex, was throwing a costume party, despite the fact that they (and by they she meant she and Katara's boyfriend Aang) had just graduated high school.

Isn't there some social law that costumes are not okay after graduation?

And being Zuko, with his freaky ways of getting his excitement, had decided that each person attending had to dress nothing like who they really were.

Toph had jokingly punched Sokka in the shoulder and told him to dress like a man.

Sokka had glared and told her to dress like a woman.

This had resulted in a heated argument in which Toph declared that Sokka was a fairy.

Sokka said that since he so clearly was not a fairy, he would go to the party as one.

In fact, Toph—the outspoken tomboy—had offered to go as a prep.

Sokka had laughed and said that she used to be one before embracing her inner mud-slug, therefore, she should go as a hooker.

Outraged, Toph had punched him in the face.

Toph grinned as she thought about the shiner she would never see, but if the rumors were true, it was a really nice one.

And then she frowned, remembering her predicament.

Sokka had angrily spat that she was a virgin and should go as a hooker.

Toph told him to bring it on, angry that he'd thrown one of the few things she'd told him in confidence back in her face.

But now, with a few minutes until Sokka was supposed to pick her up, she doubted herself.

She'd gone through the trouble of actually putting the costume together.

Toph borrowed a green tank top from Ty Lee, one that had a plunging neckline and revealed way too much of Toph's pale stomach. She had a short leather skirt, one she was certain had the potential to reveal the underwear that she was forced **not **to wear due to the sheer tightness of the skirt.

Toph had her hair up in a high ponytail, her bangs pulled back into a small pompadour, a few strands hanging down to frame her cheeks.

Her makeup had been done extravagantly; her lips were a deep red, her eyes lined in a flowing dark swoop across the tops of her lashes, pale green and white eye shadow, mascara suffocating every lash, and her eyebrows meticulously thinned.

Toph had hoops in each ear that she could stuff her fist through.

Her legs were what frightened her. She was wearing fishnet stockings that came just above her knees, the mesh fairly close together (providing an ounce of warmth on the chilly November night), and stiletto pumps with platform fronts, a rounded toe, a matte finish, and six inch heels.

A blind girl in six inch heels was **not **a good idea.

Now she sat on her porch, clad in a pair of black flats and a faux-fur coat that went down to her ankles, zipped tightly over her shivering body.

She didn't want Sokka to see her—shit—that was **not **a conversation she wanted to have.

Toph straightened as she heard the engine of the old Corvette and stood up, walking down the familiar path to the driveway.

Sokka opened his door and went around to hold Toph's open for her. After Toph climbed in, and Sokka was buckled and driving safely down the road, he decided to comment since Toph wouldn't hit him while he was driving.

"So, you decided not to go as a hooker, huh? You look kind of like a Persian princess or something." Sokka declared.

Toph snorted and clutched the small bag containing her heels closer to her chest.

"You'll see Snoozles. Did you dress up like a fairy?" she accused, and Sokka rubbed the back of his neck with the hand that wasn't on the wheel.

"Well, not um…not really. I'm just in jeans and a tee shirt." He lied, not feeling like explaining his take on the word fairy, and if Toph caught on, she didn't call him on it.

* * *

Zuko tried so hard to stay apathetic as he opened the door to Toph and Sokka, but nothing could stop the smile from taking over his face.

Sokka was staring at Toph as if she'd grown a second head—and being a _guy_, Zuko had to admit that she was looking rather…sexy—and Sokka was clad in something that made him seem, well, metro.

And by metro, he meant hot, in a totally straight way.

"I think you should put the coat and flats back on Toph," Sokka pleaded, and Toph rolled her eyes.

Zuko quirked an eyebrow, and stifled a laugh.

Sokka was wearing tight, dark-denim jeans with faded thighs, a button down black shirt with the top three buttons undone, a thick wristwatch with a leather band and square face, black combat boots, and his hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, completely shaved save for a strip down the middle.

It's how his hair was always kept, but it seemed much more…attractive in this light.

Toph sighed and tugged on Sokka's arm, and Zuko realized for the first time that she had been holding it since she'd ascended the porch steps.

"Come on, I need a drink." She muttered, obviously beginning to feel self-conscious under Zuko's scrutiny.

"Yeah, because six inch heels, blindness and _alcohol _are a fabulous combination," Sokka grumbled as the two walked off.

"You know, you kind of look like her pimp." Zuko called to Sokka's retreating back, who spun around and shot him a look so deadly, Zuko actually got chills.

Zuko. With chills. Caused by Sokka.

Holy hell.

* * *

Suki grinned at her ex as they watched Toph from a safe distance.

"You know, I don't really see where everyone is getting this hooker thing from, she actually looks tastefully punk." Suki observed, nudging Sokka's shoulder as the seventh guy that night attempted to hit on Toph.

Sokka caught his eyes, held up the hand that wasn't sporting a cola—it wasn't like he could drink and leave Toph to fend for herself getting home—and made a twist and pull gesture.

The guy made a lame excuse and flitted away from Toph.

"I think she needs to put some more clothes on." Sokka snapped, his eyes scanning the crowd for potential stalkers.

"Sokka," Suki stated, her tone changing to one he recalled all too well from when they dated a few years back. "Is it really that, or are you just jealous of all the attention she's getting?" Suki asked.

Sokka rolled his eyes and muttered 'whatever' before stomping off towards Toph.

"Come on Toph, let's get some fresh air." He said, wrapping an arm around her and pulling her tight into the space beneath his arm and against his chest, absently noticing how well she fit, and glaring at all of the guys that had been heading towards her possessively.

Sokka guided her to the porch swing and they sat down, his arm still wrapped around her.

Toph sighed and leaned into his embrace, her head resting on his chest.

"I don't know why all of these guys want to talk to me," Toph mumbled, so softly that Sokka almost didn't hear her. "It's not like I'm any different than I was a few hours ago."

Sokka turned his gaze to meet her clouded eyes, and he felt his heart shatter at the pain within the foggy orbs.

"Toph, they're just now seeing how beautiful you are, but trust me, it's always been there." He said with a smile.

Toph's expression hardened and she leaned away from him, the position suddenly losing its innocence.

"I'm ready to go whenever you are, this party sucks." Toph snapped, her mood suddenly sour.

Sokka followed her wordlessly to the car, and drove her home in silence.

He walked her to her door, and sighed as she went in, the silence weighing heavy on his heart.

It wasn't like he'd meant to hurt her, he was just telling her the truth.

Sokka wondered absently what the truth really was, and sat in his car, still parked in front of Toph's house.

Had he always considered Toph pretty, or was it the hooker heels clouding his mind?

He thought hard for a moment, and smiled. He _knew _the answer to that one. There was this one night, Toph was really drunk off Everclear and Code Red, and she'd spent the majority of the night puking in Sokka's toilet, afraid to go home like that. Sokka had held her long hair for her, rubbed circles on her back, and promised her solace at his apartment.

He placed her in his bed and pulled the covers up to her chin. Around three that morning, he heard his shower running, and a little bit later, his bedroom door shut again. A few minutes after that, he heard her calling to him, her voice timid.

When he reached her, she blushed and asked him if he really liked sleeping on the couch. He told her he didn't mind, but she scooted over and pat beside her. There had been nothing other than two best friends sharing a bed, but in the morning, when she woke up, her eyes red, head pounding and hair sticking up in strange places, he couldn't help but think of how beautiful she was and how he could get used to that.

So he'd always thought that Toph was pretty, and he'd always been her best friend.

He and Suki's breakup had been mutual, and there were no hard feelings, but he'd always felt like he was missing something. Something Suki had known and he hadn't.

At first he thought that she would tell him why things went wrong, but all she ever wanted to talk about was Toph. Sokka asked her point-blank if Suki had been jealous, and she laughed, telling him he was an idiot.

_Suki, when I asked u if u were jealous of Toph, n u said I was an idiot, what did u mean? _He typed out, sending the message, glancing up and catching Toph's silhouette in the window.

_I couldn't be jealous of something that had been there long before me and you. _Suki's message read.

Sokka smiled and dialed a number he knew by heart.

"Hey Toph, you left your wallet in my car." He lied.

* * *

Toph stumbled to Sokka's car, her hair still up and makeup still on, still clad in the tank top, but having traded the stockings and skirt for a pair of green and black Tripp shorts.

"Sokka, you ass, I didn't take my wallet. What do you want? It's almost two in the morning." Toph grumbled, kicking her bare foot against the tire closet to her.

Sokka cringed and remembered his mission.

"Do you remember that night you got super shit-faced and crashed at my apartment?" he asked bluntly.

Toph arched an eyebrow and rolled her eyes.

"Sokka, do you have any idea just how many times I've crashed at your house after drinking?" she countered, but Sokka got out of his car and came around to her side, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"We were drinking Everclear and Code Red." He clarified. Toph jolted as she remembered the night in question, and then stiffened.

"What about it?" she demanded.

Sokka smiled and pressed his hands to her face, bringing her lips close to his.

"That was the first time I realized just how beautiful you are." Sokka stated, bringing their lips together.

* * *

**A/N: Just a small dose of fluff to prepare you for the next one. Please forgive any errors, I'm on my way out the door to work. Thanks for reading and please review. I know there wasn't much substance to this, but I meant for it to be that way. Just something light.**


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